True to form, police stations in the Ehlanzeni District once again feature prominently in the quarterly crime statistics for property and commercial crimes on a national level.

Police minister Senzo Mchunu released the latest national and provincial crime statistics on November 25.

Nelspruit SAPS ranks in the top 30 stations nationally for house burglary, property crime (including robbery, shoplifting, burglary, vandalism, arson, theft, larceny, trespassing, extortion and embezzlement), theft out of motor vehicles and commercial crimes (such as fraud and complex tax schemes).

Other nationally ranked stations include Pienaar for rape, KaBokweni for residential robbery and Bushbuckridge for possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

Pienaar is also the province’s murder capital, with a spike of 10 incidents compared with the same quarter in 2023.

Masoyi, KaBokweni, Barberton, Calcutta and Bushbuckridge, in addition to White River, Mhala, Hazyview, Nelspruit, Lydenburg, Tonga and Low’s Creek, also feature in the provincial top 30 for murder. These stations show a mixed bag of increases and decreases in counts for the corresponding quarter last year.

ALSO READ: Libyan 95: More questions than answers

Reflecting on divisions such as crime intelligence, technology and forensics that his department has sought to strengthen since the inception of the seventh administration in June, Mchunu highlighted the successes achieved elsewhere in Mpumalanga through targeted operations, strategic deployments and enhanced police tactics.

He made specific reference to the arrest of the 95 Libyan nationals for immigration violations and suspected unlawful military training, the strides made in addressing illegal mining following the arrest of 19 undocumented Mozambican nationals for their involvement in illegal mining in Pilgrim’s Rest, as well as the arrest of one suspect after a high-speed chase in White River involving a single-cab Toyota bakkie carrying an arsenal of high-calibre firearms, including eight AK-47 rifles and dozens of rounds of ammunition.

ALSO READ: Zama zama bosses reportedly keep more than 150 as forced labourers in illegal Sabie mine

Illegal firearms hotspot

This brings us to the Ehlanzeni District’s statistical performance for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition as a result of police action. As mentioned above, the top performer is Bushbuckridge, ranked first in the province and 22nd in the country.

While the district only has one nationally ranking station for this crime, it occupies 17 of the top 30 positions in the province.

Other illegal firearm hotspots include Masoyi, Calcutta, Pienaar, KaBokweni, Mhala, Skukuza and Mbombela, as well as Schoemansdal, White River, Lydenburg, KaNyamazane and Hazyview. Carjackings have also spiked at eight of the district’s police stations.

These include KaBokweni, Nelspruit, Calcutta, Bushbuckridge, Masoyi and Mhala, White River and KaNyamazane.

Bushbuckridge and KaBokweni have seen the highest increases in the number of kidnappings in the province compared with the corresponding quarter last year.

When it comes to drug-related crimes, Nkomazi is the statistical hotspot area. On a provincial level, Ehlanzeni occupies eight of the top 30 spots, five of those being in Nkomazi. These include Schoemansdal, Matsulu, Kaapmuiden, Malalane and KaMhlushwa. The others are Mbombela, Masoyi and Bushbuckridge.

The Nelspruit CPF’s chairperson, John Meintjes, said Nkomazi’s proximity to the Mozambican and eSwatinian borders may play a role.

Lowvelder previously reported the Maputo Corridor that passes through the Lebombo Border Post was understood to be one of the most prolific drug routes in South Africa.

ALSO READ: White River Flying Squad confiscates 10 rifles from bakkie